Page 52 of Fling

‘Oh, so people only get married to start a family, do they?’ Tara asked.

‘Well, marriage is technically two people coming together to make a family, so yes,’ Colin said.

‘That’s not what marriage means to me,’ Tara said, turning away from him.

‘Yeah, you made that clear when you refused to take my name.’

‘Because I didn’t want my name to be Tara O’Hara! It sounds like an Irish nursery rhyme character!’

‘Tara, I’d like to focus on what you wrote,’ Dr Burke jumped back in. ‘Most of your points appear to be written in the past tense. Why do you think that is?’

‘Well . . . sometimes it feels like our best years are behind us. We never go anywhere. Or do anything. We’ve become strangers.’

‘Why do women want to do things all the time?’ Colin sulked.

‘Because I want us to make new memories. I want us to fill our lives with joy,’ Tara explained.

‘Tara, you make a good point. Marriage is like a piano. You have to play it in order to keep it in tune. And both of you have to want to hear the music,’ Dr Burke said.

‘Well, we’ve been out of tune for a long time,’ Colin said. ‘Do you think it’s really possible for us to love each other the way we used to?’

‘That’s the age-old question. Can two people fall back in love once they fall out? In my experience, the answer is yes. But you have to stop viewing each other as opposing forces. When two people want different things, it can cause conflict. But when two people want the same thing and don’t realize it, it can cause war. Most of my clients come to me at war with one another. I help them remember that the goal of war isn’t victory. It’s peace.’

‘I love that, Dr Burke,’ Tara said, like a goody-two-shoes.

‘Oh please, like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth,’ Colin muttered as he rolled his eyes.

‘Colin, I want to hear from you,’ Dr Burke said. ‘Tell me about the most recent fight within your marriage.’

Colin didn’t like being put on the spot but he was glad to give his side of the story before Tara overcomplicated it. ‘Well, our most recent fight was the perfect example of how our marriage works. I wanted steak, she wanted pasta, so we compromised and had pasta,’ he said.

‘Oh, that is such an oversimplification of what happened!’ Tara said.

‘OK, Tara, your turn. What do you think the problem to be?’ Dr Burke asked.

‘Well . . . I think you’ve already witnessed part of the problem, Dr Burke. It feels like we’re talking but we’re not really communicating,’ Tara said, sounding a little too rehearsed.

‘Tara, that’s a word-for-word quote from my book. I want to hear from you, not myself,’ Dr Burke said.

‘See? She’s trying to win at therapy. Unbelievable!’ Colin said, throwing his hands up.

‘OK, fine,’ Tara said, embarrassed for being called out. ‘Our marriage hasn’t been the same since we got some rather devastating news. We found out that we can’t have children . . .’

‘That is not what happened,’ Colin butted in. ‘We failed three rounds of IVF, but lots of couples do. There’s no medical reason we can’t have kids. You’ve just given up.’

‘I didn’t give up, I accepted reality. There’s trying and then there’s just putting yourself through hell for no reason. You know how devastated I was every time we failed. How many times are you willing to put me through that?’ Tara said.

‘But you won’t even consider other options. You’ve just turned your back on the whole idea of being a mother, even though I know it’s what you really want deep down,’ Colin pleaded.

‘Jesus, can society please normalize women wanting more than just a husband and a baby?’ Tara said, exhaling dramatically.

‘Oh no, don’t turn this session into another feminist lecture,’ Colin said, seeing where the conversation was going.

‘In case you couldn’t tell, Dr Burke, my husband isn’t a feminist and that’s a big part of the problem.’

‘For the millionth time, I’m an equalist. I believe men and women are equal,’ Colin explained.

‘That’s the literal definition of a feminist.’

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